The Deadlands
Nobody talks about that large island. It sits there, longing for an expedition. Yet, not a single government takes claim, nor allows one to step foot anywhere near it. I heard it myself. The inscessent wailing of unnatural creatures to this world when our ship grew near. The lack of wildlife or even a single fish near the island. And yet, the murkiest depths immaginable. You can't see more than a foot under the water. Yet, I would never want to do so in such an unnatural place in the world
The Deadlands is the nickname for a geographic anarchy island nation. None outside of strict personnel are allowed within the island, and even fewer are allowed past beaching upon the island without extreme protective measures. Several nations, but especially the Credell Empire check for illegal operations near the area, and perform whatever actions are necessary to keep people from being on the island, especially by force.
Unbeknownst to many who encounter the island, it is swarming with human and non-human races of the undead. It is even believed that there is a civilization of the undead somewhere underground near the surface of the deadlands. This supposed civilization is believed to be plotting to invade the mainland, create more of their kind by capturing them, and bringing them back to the island, to either consume, or turn into one of their own.
Geography
The geographic features of the continent, what little has been explored, are very bare. There is little variance between a small smattering of deserts along the outskirts of the island and a petrified forest within its center. It's nearly impossible for living creatures to exist on the continent, save for a few extremophile plants, subsisting off of the decay. This includes the secondary island, which is not much more than a red field of baked clay, with nothing but a smattering of dust over the landscape.
Localized Phenomena
Should a body remain at sunset, it rises as an awakend undead. At sunset, undead from outside of the island become awakened. These awakend undead feel a terrible surge of hunger, where only the strongest willed can control it properly.
Divine Wild magic.Mechanics
Fauna & Flora
Several species of extremophile flora, including cacti and vampire vine, flourish in these areas due to the low population and sparse rainfall. As far as fauna, many species of insectoids and arachnids make up the living population of the islands. Other than a few rare creatures within the deadlands, an overwhelming majority of the islands are taken over by the undead.
Every creature that dies within the deadlands rises after the next sunset as an undead creature. Unlike most undead found throughout the rest of pondera however, they retain a normal intelligence for their species. They do not know their own life, but are able to communicate with their species, and use many of the skills they were aware of during their lifetime. Unlike their living counterparts, they maintain a greater hunger than normal undead. They actively seek out the flesh of their own kind for sustenance, and attempt to do so even to undead with a similar composition to themselves.
This mindset is not inclusive to humanoids surprisingly. Native animals, such as Rot swine, are a prime example of the wildlife reacting to this phenomena. Rot swine are a population of pig like creatures that can eat even the most vile and rotten of food found anywhere. These creatures are known for participating in battles against tribes of their own kind, to ensure both a source of food, and to prevent the elderly among them from becoming undead through the practice of cannibalism.
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